Jay Jones Faces Backlash Over Wife’s Donation to Controversial Bail Fund
- Allegations about Mavis Jones’s donation raise questions about candidate judgment
- Minnesota Freedom Fund spent millions bailing out people accused of violent crimes
- Republicans see fresh ammunition in a tight Virginia attorney general race
Virginia attorney general candidate Jay Jones is under renewed fire after reports said his wife donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund, a group accused of using millions to bail out violent offenders. The revelation lands badly in a race where the law and order message matters to voters. Republicans insist this shows poor judgment by Jones and his circle.
In May 2020, amid unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death, on what was then Twitter: “I just donated to the Minnesota Freedom Fund,” linking to the group’s donation page and urging others to do the same.
The Washington Free Beacon first revealed the contribution and its political fallout, noting Jones trails Republican incumbent Jason Miyares as the campaign tightens. The attorney general’s office oversees prosecutions and police oversight, so character and decision making are fair game in this contest.
The Minnesota Freedom Fund, which raised more than $41 million during the 2020 protests, was promoted by several progressive figures including then-Sen. Kamala Harris. A later FOX 9 investigation reported the group spent much of its money bailing defendants accused of serious violent crimes rather than low-level protest offenses.
The reporting includes specific cases where the fund posted large bails, like $350,000 for Christopher Boswell, a twice-convicted rapist facing new kidnapping and assault charges. The group also posted $100,000 for Darnika Floyd, charged with second-degree murder, and $75,000 for Jaleel Stallings, who allegedly fired at a Minneapolis SWAT team before being acquitted at trial.
Greg Lewin, then the fund’s interim executive director, told FOX 9 that same year, “The last time we were down there, the clerk said, ‘We hate it when you bail out these sex offenders.’ I often don’t even look at a charge when I bail someone out.” That quote underlines why critics say the fund’s priorities were reckless.
Another case cited by critics involved George Howard, a career criminal freed by the fund who was later charged with fatally shooting a man in a road rage incident. For Republicans this is a clear example of consequences from lax bail policies promoted by progressive groups.
The news adds to other controversies for Jones, 35, who previously apologized for violent text messages directed at Republican leaders. In one exchange, he wrote that then–House Speaker Todd Gilbert gets “two bullets to the head” and that Gilbert’s wife Jennifer should “watch her children die.”
Court records also show Jones was convicted of reckless driving in 2022 for traveling 116 mph, resulting in fines and a community service order now under ethics review. The controversy gives Miyares and GOP groups new material as the campaign heads to the finish line.
A recent Trafalgar Group poll showed Miyares leading 49.5% to 44.6%, a shift since Jones led earlier in the cycle. As of Friday, Mavis Jones has set her X account to private, and the Minnesota Freedom Fund and the Jay Jones campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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